Even though it usually takes a long time to help push someone from band 5.0 to band 7.0, following our 5 unique steps can enable you to speed up the process. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

1. Getting your grammar better by keeping a track on common grammar errors.

According to IELTS writing band descriptors, 25% of your total score is for the criterion grammatical range and accuracy.  Therefore, In order to get  band 7 or above, it is required to have frequent error free sentences. Sadly, when evaluating writing scripts, I can easily spot one or two errors in every sentence of their paragraphs. This can lower their score down to even 4.5 for grammar. However, one interesting thing I usually find is that they tend to repeat the same errors from 3 or 4 error categories such as subject verb agreement, tenses, articles and so on.  To fight this, the method that we suggest is to identify the common error categories and work on them by doing grammar exercises until they are in a position where they can write without making their common errors. 

2. Avoid fancy vocabulary, instead simplify it. 

You don’t have to use words that Shashi Tharoor uses to score a 7 or above for IELTS writing, and whoever suggests you to learn such kind of words doesn't know how IELTS works. A fun fact is that if he appears for IELTS, he will not get anything less than band 9. Why? The reason is what you should learn to improve your IELTS writing score. In IELTS writing band descriptors, nowhere it is mentioned that we should always use high level fancy vocabulary to get a band score of 7, instead it explicitly states that it is the precision and flexibility that we should look for. What is precision and flexibility in vocabulary? 

Precision: it is one's ability to choose words that best fit the context.  For example, if the topic is mobile phone, a good user of English might pick words like specification, battery capacity, and so on.  

Flexibility: if one can switch from one word form to another without much effort, he can be called a flexible user of English. For example, if in one sentence he uses philosopher, in the next sentence, he might use the word philosophize.   

Now, let’s get back to Shashi Tharoor. The reason why he can score a band 9 in IELTS is that though he uses fancy words, he makes sure that they are used in context.